I think she's one of the only contemporary artists (male or female) who can compete with Prince in terms of:

1. Prolific output

2. The vast quantity and generally high quality of her B-sides and unreleased tracks

All her post-00's albums have practically been double albums, she even released two albums last year, which is something Prince has never done.

And any fan worth their salt knows that the huge amount of unreleased/b-side Tori material out there is staggering.

There really is no-one else around today that I know of who can compete with Prince on these fronts.

She does have a staggering amount of material, and most of it very strong.

How many female artists, especially those 40+, are still having the kind of career she is having? Not very many.

She's had 5 straight Top 10 entries with her studio albums, including her last record "Abnormally Attracted to Sin" which is one of the strongest of her career.

We are only 2 years away from the 20th anniversary of "Little Earthquakes." I believe that eventually Tori Amos will get much more appreciation for her longevity, and the depth of her output. She is one of the great artists of the last quarter century.

MattyJam said:

I think she's one of the only contemporary artists (male or female) who can compete with Prince in terms of:

1. Prolific output

2. The vast quantity and generally high quality of her B-sides and unreleased tracks

All her post-00's albums have practically been double albums, she even released two albums last year, which is something Prince has never done.

And any fan worth their salt knows that the huge amount of unreleased/b-side Tori material out there is staggering.

There really is no-one else around today that I know of who can compete with Prince on these fronts.

Lotusflower and Mplsound is two albums.

The Vault.....Old Friends For Sale and Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic were released in the same year.

Come and The Black Album were released in the same year.

I liked Tori Amos years ago, i am not too familiar with her material now.

I had no idea her output was as large.

[Edited 8/2/10 7:29am]

yeah too bad she sucks ass

she gets on my tits

she's a wanna be Kate Bush

i don't see her appeal at all

Dewrede said:

yeah too bad she sucks ass

she gets on my tits

she's a wanna be Kate Bush

i don't see her appeal at all

It's obviously a matter of taste whether you like her or not, but the similarities with Kate Bush are generally quite superficial.

I'm a huge fan of both artists, and beyond the fact that they are both female, quirky and they march to the beat of their own drummer (i.e., they do not follow normal pop formula or fit into easy categorization), their music is really very very different.

Some have strong negative reactions to Tori Amos; that's no problem. As she herself said:

"I know I'm an acquired taste: I'm anchovies. And not everyone wants those hairy little things. If I was potato chips, I could go more places."

I personally like anchovies And judging from her continued success over 20+ years in this business - 9 top 15 albums, numerous successful tours, etc - plenty of other people do as well.

NoVideo said:

Dewrede said:

yeah too bad she sucks ass

she gets on my tits

she's a wanna be Kate Bush

i don't see her appeal at all

It's obviously a matter of taste whether you like her or not, but the similarities with Kate Bush are generally quite superficial.

I'm a huge fan of both artists, and beyond the fact that they are both female, quirky and they march to the beat of their own drummer (i.e., they do not follow normal pop formula or fit into easy categorization), their music is really very very different.

Some have strong negative reactions to Tori Amos; that's no problem. As she herself said:

"I know I'm an acquired taste: I'm anchovies. And not everyone wants those hairy little things. If I was potato chips, I could go more places."

I personally like anchovies And judging from her continued success over 20+ years in this business - 9 top 15 albums, numerous successful tours, etc - plenty of other people do as well.

Her "anchovies" quote is a good one.

I bet there are many an artist feels that way.

MikeyB71 said:

MattyJam said:

I think she's one of the only contemporary artists (male or female) who can compete with Prince in terms of:

1. Prolific output

2. The vast quantity and generally high quality of her B-sides and unreleased tracks

All her post-00's albums have practically been double albums, she even released two albums last year, which is something Prince has never done.

And any fan worth their salt knows that the huge amount of unreleased/b-side Tori material out there is staggering.

There really is no-one else around today that I know of who can compete with Prince on these fronts.

Lotusflower and Mplsound is two albums.

The Vault.....Old Friends For Sale and Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic were released in the same year.

Come and The Black Album were released in the same year.

I liked Tori Amos years ago, i am not too familiar with her material now.

I had no idea her output was as large.

[Edited 8/2/10 7:29am]

Glad you pointed that out.

Also, in 1996 Prince released Chaos and Disorder and Emancipation (a triple album) in the same year.

In 1998 he released Crystal Ball/Kamasutra/The Truth plus Newpower Soul. (yeah, I know that Newpower Soul was credited to the NPG but I think most fans consider it a Prince album)

hahaaha, no offense, but what a load of bullshit ; since this is the P forum (and not the Music one) I'm gonna thrash Tori without fear of controversy...

first of all, Tori is a ROCK artist, basically; hell I know she has toyed with other styles, but she's NOT as experimental as Prince, and everybody should agree...

she's not a MAJOR superstar by any means, in fact, she remains a relatevely unknown artist (sort of) despite her mid-90s (short-lived) popularity.

her music (and we're entering controversial territory here) is CRIMINALLY OVERRATED (like the whole mid-90s alternative rock, basically). She was successful because back in the mid-90s alternative rock was popular, no more and no less, but the test of time has proven that she's not as RELEVANT as her fans claim. In other words, she's not the Janis Joplin of the 90s, get over it Many people (and I'm not talking about hardcore fans) are no stranger to Prince's Erotic City, and that's a B-Side people!; but I doubt that anyone (other than the fans) could name a B-Side of Tori

The female Prince would be a mix of Janet, Björk and Wendy/Lisa ; of course that awesome, stunning lady doesn't exist...

Dewrede said:

yeah too bad she sucks ass

she gets on my tits

she's a wanna be Kate Bush

i don't see her appeal at all

JoeTyler said:

hahaaha, no offense, but what a load of bullshit ; since this is the P forum (and not the Music one) I'm gonna thrash Tori without fear of controversy...

first of all, Tori is a ROCK artist, basically; hell I know she has toyed with other styles, but she's NOT as experimental as Prince, and everybody should agree...

she's not a MAJOR superstar by any means, in fact, she remains a relatevely unknown artist (sort of) despite her mid-90s (short-lived) popularity.

her music (and we're entering controversial territory here) is CRIMINALLY OVERRATED (like the whole mid-90s alternative rock, basically). She was successful because back in the mid-90s alternative rock was popular, no more and no less, but the test of time has proven that she's not as RELEVANT as her fans claim. In other words, she's not the Janis Joplin of the 90s, get over it Many people (and I'm not talking about hardcore fans) are no stranger to Prince's Erotic City, and that's a B-Side people!; but I doubt that anyone (other than the fans) could name a B-Side of Tori

The female Prince would be a mix of Janet, Björk and Wendy/Lisa ; of course that awesome, stunning lady doesn't exist...

I believe the original poster made the Prince comparison based on the prolific nature of both artists. This is what he said:

"I think she's one of the only contemporary artists (male or female) who can compete with Prince in terms of:

1. Prolific output

2. The vast quantity and generally high quality of her B-sides and unreleased tracks"

Nothing there about stylistic similarities, or who is more or less experimental.

Tori is one of those rare artists who is well-known and has a large devoted following - and whose albums and tours continue to do well - but has operated largely outside the mainstream.

Her success in the 90s did not stem from any particular wave of alternative music being popular. Her first single that launched her success - "Silent All These Years" - is a piano ballad with strings, and most of the "Little Earthquakes" album is similar. She has never fit neatly into a particular genre or category. There was a brief period where her music was played on alternative radio, when what she was doing fell more generally into that style, but that was fleeting.

As for her supposed lack of relevance, that depends on the eye of the beholder. If you ask the casual music fan or general public, or even more knowledgeable music fans, Prince stopped being relevant 20 years ago. Is that true? How many musicians/artists has he inspired with his post-80's work? Does it matter as long as fans still enjoy what he is doing? Not sure what the word "relevance" even means. Tori must still be relevant to a large fan base, considering her last studio album (not counting her holiday LP) was a top 10 debut in the US, and she continues to tour very successfully.

It amazes me that someone cannot look at an artist with nearly 20 years of consistent success - especially a female artist - in an industry that is notoriously fickle, and where careers are increasingly short-lived - and not give them a modicum of respect, even if the music isn't something that appeals to them personally.

MattyJam said:

I think she's one of the only contemporary artists (male or female) who can compete with Prince in terms of:

All her post-00's albums have practically been double albums, she even released two albums last year, which is something Prince has never done.

NoVideo said:

JoeTyler said:

hahaaha, no offense, but what a load of bullshit ; since this is the P forum (and not the Music one) I'm gonna thrash Tori without fear of controversy...

first of all, Tori is a ROCK artist, basically; hell I know she has toyed with other styles, but she's NOT as experimental as Prince, and everybody should agree...

she's not a MAJOR superstar by any means, in fact, she remains a relatevely unknown artist (sort of) despite her mid-90s (short-lived) popularity.

her music (and we're entering controversial territory here) is CRIMINALLY OVERRATED (like the whole mid-90s alternative rock, basically). She was successful because back in the mid-90s alternative rock was popular, no more and no less, but the test of time has proven that she's not as RELEVANT as her fans claim. In other words, she's not the Janis Joplin of the 90s, get over it Many people (and I'm not talking about hardcore fans) are no stranger to Prince's Erotic City, and that's a B-Side people!; but I doubt that anyone (other than the fans) could name a B-Side of Tori

The female Prince would be a mix of Janet, Björk and Wendy/Lisa ; of course that awesome, stunning lady doesn't exist...

I believe the original poster made the Prince comparison based on the prolific nature of both artists. This is what he said:

"I think she's one of the only contemporary artists (male or female) who can compete with Prince in terms of:

1. Prolific output

2. The vast quantity and generally high quality of her B-sides and unreleased tracks"

Nothing there about stylistic similarities, or who is more or less experimental.

Tori is one of those rare artists who is well-known and has a large devoted following - and whose albums and tours continue to do well - but has operated largely outside the mainstream.

Her success in the 90s did not stem from any particular wave of alternative music being popular. Her first single that launched her success - "Silent All These Years" - is a piano ballad with strings, and most of the "Little Earthquakes" album is similar. She has never fit neatly into a particular genre or category. There was a brief period where her music was played on alternative radio, when what she was doing fell more generally into that style, but that was fleeting.

As for her supposed lack of relevance, that depends on the eye of the beholder. If you ask the casual music fan or general public, or even more knowledgeable music fans, Prince stopped being relevant 20 years ago. Is that true? How many musicians/artists has he inspired with his post-80's work? Does it matter as long as fans still enjoy what he is doing? Not sure what the word "relevance" even means. Tori must still be relevant to a large fan base, considering her last studio album (not counting her holiday LP) was a top 10 debut in the US, and she continues to tour very successfully.

It amazes me that someone cannot look at an artist with nearly 20 years of consistent success - especially a female artist - in an industry that is notoriously fickle, and where careers are increasingly short-lived - and not give them a modicum of respect, even if the music isn't something that appeals to them personally.

ha, your post just lost its credibility with that last paragraph.

The whole myth of "nowadays careers are short lived" is COMPLETELY false; that was back in the 60s and the early 70s, when people HAD to write at least one MEMORABLE single almost EVERY year in order to sustain their (always fragile) careers. Nowadays (90s and 00s) careers are sustained due to FANATICISM: longtime fans which will buy any album (no matter how weak or uneven it is) of their favourite artists, albums that (usually) don't get any radio airplay because there are no memorable singles to begin with. That's why acts like RHCP, Tori, YoLaTengo, REM or even Prince (despite the strong 3121) are still alive and well (sort of)...

Female artist? So? Does that mean that I have to support any female act just because this is a man's man's world???

Consistent success? You mean consistent dedication of her fan base.

Respect?? Hmm, I guess that 5.000.000 fans cannot be wrong right? For me, Tori is overrated and I predict that NONE of her songs will have a lasting impact on popular culture.

Peace

[Edited 8/2/10 9:13am]

JoeTyler said:

hahaaha, no offense, but what a load of bullshit ; since this is the P forum (and not the Music one) I'm gonna thrash Tori without fear of controversy...

first of all, Tori is a ROCK artist, basically; hell I know she has toyed with other styles, but she's NOT as experimental as Prince, and everybody should agree...

she's not a MAJOR superstar by any means, in fact, she remains a relatevely unknown artist (sort of) despite her mid-90s (short-lived) popularity.

her music (and we're entering controversial territory here) is CRIMINALLY OVERRATED (like the whole mid-90s alternative rock, basically). She was successful because back in the mid-90s alternative rock was popular, no more and no less, but the test of time has proven that she's not as RELEVANT as her fans claim. In other words, she's not the Janis Joplin of the 90s, get over it Many people (and I'm not talking about hardcore fans) are no stranger to Prince's Erotic City, and that's a B-Side people!; but I doubt that anyone (other than the fans) could name a B-Side of Tori

The female Prince would be a mix of Janet, Björk and Wendy/Lisa ; of course that awesome, stunning lady doesn't exist...

Your entire post is irrelevant to this thread, but I will question how someone can be relatively unknown and criminally overrated at the same time.

JoeTyler said:

I predict that NONE of her songs will have a lasting impact on popular culture.

I feel sorry for you if you determine an artists worth by their impact on popular culture. By that logic, Britney Spears and Rhianna would be considered more essential listening than the last 15 Prince albums.

[Edited 8/2/10 9:29am]

MikeyB71 said:

Lotusflower and Mplsound is two albums.

The Vault.....Old Friends For Sale and Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic were released in the same year.

Come and The Black Album were released in the same year.

I'll accept LF and MPLSound, but The Vault and OFFS were just compilations and don't count as proper albums.

Come being released the same year as an album from five years previous also hardly counts.

I don't know much about Tori Amos to be honest, although I've heard of her, but I don't know of any female artist today, who "stands out" as a female Prince, toying with various forms of music and has similiarities to his early, stage presence of the 80s. Only one who I can think of pre-Prince is Betty Mabry-Davis whose music was before her time, and because of her raunchy lyrics, bold, sexual moves onstage, as well as her stage appearance, sometimes in lingerie/sexy outfits. One could say that Prince may have adopted some of her style, not intentionally, but considering his stage presence and sexual lyrics, and appearance on stage early in his career, but in male form. Just my two cents.

[Edited 8/2/10 9:37am]

These are interesting comments as I don't think I've EVER heard a song by Tori Amos and I have no idea what she even looks like.

JoeTyler said:

but she's NOT as experimental as Prince

Are you even familiar with her music?

Boys For Pele was hugely experimental. At a time when rock angst with heavy guitars were all the rage, Tori recorded a whole album incorporating a harpsicord, clavicord, harmonium, gospel choir, brass bands and full orchestra.

And I don't think Prince has ever captured an audiences attention in a live setting the way Tori did with Me And A Gun. That eery kind of hear-a-pin-drop type performance...

Graycap23 said: These are interesting comments as I don't think I've EVER heard a song by Tori Amos and I have no idea what she even looks like.

[Edited 8/2/10 9:54am]

Of the Prince records that came out the same year, and correct me if I'm wrong, they weren't all "Prince" releases, right? By that I mean, Rave was Prince's record but Old Friends was just Warner releasing vaulted material. Same with Come and the Black Album, same with Chaos and Disorder and Emancipation...right? And I thought MPLSound and Lotusflo3r were all released simultaneously in one package via target...he may call them three seperate releases but I couldn't buy them individually so as far as any consumer would feel, that was one 3 disc set. We definitely shouldn't consider The Black Album a 1994 release since it was actually only a re-release or sorts.

The thread's author was - I think - referring to two new records, containing new material and not vaulted stuff, both being released in one year.

[Edited 8/2/10 10:05am]

BramblingMan said:

The thread's author was - I think - referring to two new records, containing new material and not vaulted stuff, both being released in one year.

Correct.

Prince has never released two brand new studio albums in one year.

MattyJam said:

BramblingMan said:

The thread's author was - I think - referring to two new records, containing new material and not vaulted stuff, both being released in one year.

Correct.

Prince has never released two brand new studio albums in one year.

hahahah and there you have one big, dirty LIE

JoeTyler said:

MattyJam said:

Correct.

Prince has never released two brand new studio albums in one year.

hahahah and there you have one big, dirty LIE

Okay, prove me wrong.

Whick would u rather have? 2 separate studio albums................or 5, 4, 3 or 2 in the same package?

5= Crystal Ball SE

4 = Crystall Ball regular

3 = Emancipation

2 = 1999

2 = SOTT

3 = Lotusflower

JoeTyler said:

NoVideo said:

I believe the original poster made the Prince comparison based on the prolific nature of both artists. This is what he said:

"I think she's one of the only contemporary artists (male or female) who can compete with Prince in terms of:

1. Prolific output

2. The vast quantity and generally high quality of her B-sides and unreleased tracks"

Nothing there about stylistic similarities, or who is more or less experimental.

Tori is one of those rare artists who is well-known and has a large devoted following - and whose albums and tours continue to do well - but has operated largely outside the mainstream.

Her success in the 90s did not stem from any particular wave of alternative music being popular. Her first single that launched her success - "Silent All These Years" - is a piano ballad with strings, and most of the "Little Earthquakes" album is similar. She has never fit neatly into a particular genre or category. There was a brief period where her music was played on alternative radio, when what she was doing fell more generally into that style, but that was fleeting.

As for her supposed lack of relevance, that depends on the eye of the beholder. If you ask the casual music fan or general public, or even more knowledgeable music fans, Prince stopped being relevant 20 years ago. Is that true? How many musicians/artists has he inspired with his post-80's work? Does it matter as long as fans still enjoy what he is doing? Not sure what the word "relevance" even means. Tori must still be relevant to a large fan base, considering her last studio album (not counting her holiday LP) was a top 10 debut in the US, and she continues to tour very successfully.

It amazes me that someone cannot look at an artist with nearly 20 years of consistent success - especially a female artist - in an industry that is notoriously fickle, and where careers are increasingly short-lived - and not give them a modicum of respect, even if the music isn't something that appeals to them personally.

ha, your post just lost its credibility with that last paragraph.

ha, lost credibility with you? I think I'll survive somehow.

Graycap23 said:

Whick would u rather have? 2 separate studio albums................or 5, 4, 3 or 2 in the same package?

5= Crystal Ball SE

4 = Crystall Ball regular

3 = Emancipation

2 = 1999

2 = SOTT

3 = Lotusflower

Interesting question.

1999 and SOTT by todays standards would be single disc albums. Tori's Abnormally Attracted To Sin was a single disc album and had 18 songs - which is 2 more than SOTT.

Tori released a single disc album called American Doll Posse in 2007, which had 23 tracks (not including 3 bonus iTunes only songs).

I'm pretty sure most Prince fans would agree that the majority of Emancipation and Crystal Ball was quantity over quality (Poom Poom, Get Loose, Da Da Da, P Control remix). And I was actually pissed off that I had to spend £35 to import Lotusflow3r when I had zero interest in listening to the CD by his latest bimbo protegee.

MattyJam said:

Graycap23 said:

Whick would u rather have? 2 separate studio albums................or 5, 4, 3 or 2 in the same package?

5= Crystal Ball SE

4 = Crystall Ball regular

3 = Emancipation

2 = 1999

2 = SOTT

3 = Lotusflower

Interesting question.

1999 and SOTT by todays standards would be single disc albums. Tori's Abnormally Attracted To Sin was a single disc album and had 18 songs - which is 2 more than SOTT.

Tori released a single disc album called American Doll Posse in 2007, which had 23 tracks (not including 3 bonus iTunes only songs).

I'm pretty sure most Prince fans would agree that the majority of Emancipation and Crystal Ball was quantity over quality (Poom Poom, Get Loose, Da Da Da, P Control remix). And I was actually pissed off that I had to spend £35 to import Lotusflow3r when I had zero interest in listening to the CD by his latest bimbo protegee.

U would agree...........I do NOT. I loved Emancipation and still spin it on a regular basis.

I doubt if I will be spinning any Amos material any time soon.

Don't mean to patronise you, but I don't think you know what you think.

One minute you say:

JoeTyler said:

in fact, she remains a relatevely unknown artist (sort of) despite her mid-90s (short-lived) popularity.

And yet the next:

Joe Tyler said:

her music is CRIMINALLY OVERRATED

Make up your mind.

The fact is, you probably don't know anything about her or her music.

Graycap23 said:

I doubt if I will be spinning any Amos material any time soon.

That's your loss.

Sorry, as much respect as I have for Tori, she ain't comparable to Prince.

Me'Shell is more in that vein than Tori is.

[Edited 8/2/10 10:57am]